On paper, this one is already stacked.
San Diego Comic-Con exclusive, glow-in-the-dark Hedorah. Toxic Blue colorway by MVH (Mutant Vinyl Hardcore) and produced by Unbox Industries. The sculpt is my favorite of Hedorah, ever. The paint is absolutely disgusting in the best possible way. Thick, drippy layers. Nasty texture. Glow that hits hard when the lights go out.
I love everything about it.
But that’s not why this is my favorite pickup of 2025.
The year that broke me
My dad passed away on February 1.
Exactly two weeks later, my aunt passed too.
I don’t need to dress that up. It fucked me up. I was in a dark place for months. Just existing, not really enjoying anything. Going through the motions. Anyone who’s been there knows that fog.
By July, I was still off. Then out of nowhere, my friend Lilly hit me up and said she could get me a pass to San Diego Comic-Con.
A few days’ notice.
Anyone who knows me knows I’m not spontaneous at all. I’m introverted. I need like two weeks of mental prep just to leave the house on a weekend. I’d also completely written off Comic-Con years ago. Never got tickets, tried forever, gave up a decade ago.
But this time I said, fuck it.
This felt like a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and weirdly, it showed up exactly when I needed something to break the pattern I was stuck in.
The drive was therapy
I quickly booked parking, planned a one-day mission, and left Los Angeles at 5am on July 26th. Drove down and back the same day.
That drive alone was worth it.
Ocean views, long stretches of road, and my dad's favorite music on. Talking out loud to myself. Talking to my dad. Crying. Letting my brain finally breathe. No notifications. No obligations. Just movement.
It felt like shaking something loose.
Happiness and hope
When I got there, I found out the pass wasn’t just a regular badge.
It was a vendor pass.
Skipping the line. Early entry. Walking the floor while booths were still setting up. Watching companies unpack toys and displays. That quiet-before-the-storm energy.
I was genuinely happy the entire time. Like, present-happy. That hasn’t happened much this year.
I made my way straight to the Unbox Industries / Creature Bazaar booth to see the Hedorah in person. And yeah, it was gorgeous. The kind of piece that stops you in your tracks.
They weren’t selling to vendors to avoid flippers, which I respected. I wasn’t expecting anything.
But then Dan from Unbox recognized me after I introduced myself to Quang from Creature Bazaar. Somehow, through pure kindness and community magic, they let me buy it.
Grateful doesn’t even cover it.
Why this piece matters
I spent the rest of the day wandering. Taking in the insane booths. Admiring all of the toys everywhere. Even met up with collector friends. Just soaked it all in.
The drive home hit the same way as the drive there. Calm. Processing. Lighter.
That’s why this Hedorah is my favorite pickup of 2025.
Not just because it’s arguably the best Hedorah sculpt, with ridiculous paint and glow. Not just because it’s my first MVH piece. But because it’s tied to a memory that genuinely helped pull me out of a really shitty year.
Sometimes a toy isn’t just a toy.
Sometimes it’s a timestamp. A reminder. Proof that good days can still sneak up on you when you least expect them.
This one will never leave my collection.
I’m really glad I said fuck it and went. I think I might do that a little more in 2026.
